Thirteen years back, in 2001, Bernard Arnault had met Frank Gehry and conceived the idea of collaborating on the project for the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Finally the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH has announced 27th October 2014 as the official opening date of the new museum.
The institution is designed to open the world of the French multinational luxury goods conglomerate and will showcase the corporate art collection of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Along with the presentation of permanent collections, the organization will also showcase temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and of multi-disciplinary performances, hold meetings, debates and symposia and develop educational activities intended particularly for younger audiences.
Located in Paris in the Bois de Boulogne and adjacent to the Jardin d’Acclimatation, the building is designed to blend with the natural surrounding as well as stand out with twelve sail-like covering. Housing just the corporation’s collection and not Arnault’s private one, the foundation structure is estimated to be built at the cost of about $136 million. Spreading out over 126,000 square feet, it contains 11 galleries, a conference room with a capacity for 350 people and terraces as well.
With a goal of encouraging and promoting artistic creation both in France and internationally, the Fondation Louis Vuitton will enable a broad public to enjoy a multitude of artistic creations, deepening LVMH’s ongoing commitment to promoting culture. Devoted to contemporary art, the charitable museum will welcome the public for free for three days via reservation ahead of the official opening.
Bernard Arnault shares his views about the whole process, right from conceptualizing to the forthcoming inauguration – “We wanted to present Paris with an extraordinary place for art and culture, and demonstrate daring and emotion by entrusting Frank Gehry with the construction of a building that is emblematic of the 21st century.” Speaking to WWD, he also said that the foundation is a way to demonstrate how the “extraordinary economic success of the group” is due to “the outstanding success of our designers.” He also added that, “This a small payback to the public, and to our employees.”
